Reflections
by Disciple of Ember
Summary: Close your eyes and the world fades. Open them again, and everything's changed. Ten years after escaping the Gallery, Ib finds herself in an all new nightmare. When the lines between real and fake begin to blur, she will need to rely on her closest friends to help her through. In the end, a choice has to be made and she's the only one who can make it.
1. Prologue

**Hey There everyone. I'm back, and its not a one-shot this time. I've come to realize how much I enjoy writing for Ib, and after waiting (procrastinating) for a while I couldn't help but start another story. This will include both IbxGarry and IbxMary. Confused as to how that will work? Good, that should make the story more interesting. First chapter is just the prologue, so future ones will be longer. **

**Currently it is rated T, but this may change. I haven't decided if I want to include more 'adult' themed chapters later on in the story. It isn't something I have a lot of experience with, so I'm not sure if I want to risk it. **

**One more thing, updates on this fic will be slow. While I want to write more Ib, I currently have another story I already started so sadly that one will have to take priority. I'm gunning for at least one update per week to give myself some breathing room, but this may change (for better or for worse) later on. **

**As ever, comments and criticisms are welcome.**

**Edit: The title has been changed from 'Waking Dreamer' to 'Reflections' since there is another story with almost the same name. Sorry to the author of 'Dreamingly Awake', the infringement wasn't ****intentional.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

Ib was drifting, a cool current of nothingness washing over her as she closed her eyes.

She didn't remember why she was here, or how she got there, but right now she didn't care. In this peaceful non-existence, she was happy. There was no conflict, no pain, and no loss. She embraced this lack of suffering because the alternative was so much worse. Despite her fragmented memory, Ib knew one thing.

Something terrible had happened.

She didn't know what, or why, or to whom, but she knew it had. Even faint whispers of the event were enough to turn her stomach into a mass of writhing snakes, sending waves of sorrow through her body.

She heard childish laughter and a friendly greeting. She saw blue and yellow mixing together, until they were utterly inseparable. Her vision was clouded by images of falling rose petals and burning canvas. Promises, lies, sacrifices, betrayal… they all swirled around her mind, just out of reach.

But that didn't matter right now. In this moment, she was content. For as long as fate allowed her, she would remain here and pretend that all was right in the world.

Fate, however, was a fickle mistress.

Very slowly, sensation started returning to her. Ib resisted the pull of the conscious world, but her efforts were in vain. First came the floor, smooth and chilled as though it were made of stone. Then the breeze, tickling her face as it lazily wafted past.

Little by little, her senses of smell, sound, and sight all followed. Wanting nothing more than to return to her former state of being, she regretfully forced her eyes to open. When she did one thing became abundantly clear.

This was not her room. In fact, she doubted that anyone would be enough of a masochist to consider it 'their' room. For as far as the eye could see, there was nothing in all directions. A vast expanse of black emptiness stretching out to eternity.

The floor beneath her was hardly more inviting. It was made of some dark substance, smooth as glass and without a single crack or imperfection. Annoyingly enough, it was the same color as the omnipotent darkness, making seeing more than a few feet away almost impossible.

Despite the strangeness of her current position, Ib didn't feel worried. The all-consuming blackness wasn't menacing. Quite the opposite actually. It held a crushing sadness that almost seemed to be a physical force, but it felt entirely harmless on its own.

Sitting up, Ib took a better look around. No matter which direction she faced, there were no signs of landmarks or variations. There was nothing to show how she had arrived, and there likely wouldn't be anything to mark her passing.

She slowly got to her feet, every muscle sore from laying on the hard surface for so long. With no real goal in sight, she picked a random direction and started to walk.

The journey was fairly pleasant all things considered. The earlier chill had been replaced by a tepid warmth, and anytime she began to feel uncomfortable the breeze would return. It was almost as if the world wanted her to be at ease.

The whole thing felt surreal, as if she were walking through a dream. Maybe she was. After all, endless rooms filled with darkness weren't something you typically found in a suburban neighborhood, were they?

Her steps echoed through the vastness as she walked, providing the only source of sound. The steady rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other droned in her head like a dysfunctional heartbeat.

Ib couldn't have said how long the trek lasted for, her sense of time having ceased to function, but eventually she spotted some sort of anomaly in the distance. Though it was far off, the object stood out against the darkness like a shining beacon.

She began to close the distance, her steps falling faster until she was dashing directly for it. Something about this strange image called to her with feelings of need. Whatever it was, it was important.

It soon became apparent that the landmark was not in fact a single object, but two. Two small tables standing side by side. On each table was a vase, and in each vase was a rose.

One blue.

One yellow.

She slowed down as she got close. Something about the two flowers felt familiar…

Looking at the blue rose, Ib was overcome by feelings of warmth and comfort. She could vaguely make out an image of a man offering everything he had for someone who was almost a total stranger. She couldn't explain why, but just being near the rose brought a smile to her face.

The yellow flower couldn't have been more different. As she looked upon it, an all-consuming loneliness struck her like a hammer to the gut. She could see the outline of a girl who had been alone for so long that her mind was in tatters. The sight was so heartbreaking that Ib wanted nothing more than to hold her close, and tell her that everything would be all right.

"Which one?"

Ib whirled around at the voice. Despite the previous emptiness of the room, someone was standing behind her. The figure wore a long, featureless, robe with a hood that covered its face. She had no idea how it had managed to sneak up on her so quietly in a place of almost total silence.

Seeing her confusion, it continued.

"Which rose will you take?"

Ib flinched slightly at the voice. It was old and unmistakably male, but in the dark room it sounded far too loud. Almost as if it didn't belong.

"What do you mean?" She asked, speaking quietly so as to avoid hurting her own ears. "Am I supposed to take one? Is that how this works?"

He nodded.

She looked back at the two roses. Both held their own appeal, and she found it all but impossible to choose just one. Suddenly, a thought struck her.

"If I pick one, what will happen to the other?" She asked, somehow feeling that she already knew the answer.

The figure didn't respond at first, and when he did his voice was heavy with weary resignation.

"Once you pick one, you will escape this place with your choice." He said. "The other will be left to wither and die alone in the dark. Before you ask, because I know you will, you can't take both. One must always be sacrificed to save the other."

Ib stared in shock, speechless at the horrible thought of leaving either of them to such a fate.

"And what if I don't choose one?" She asked, trying to find some way to avoid abandoning one of them. "What if I just don't make a decision?"

A long sigh ushered out from beneath the robes of the man.

"The choice will have to be made eventually." He said. "And you need to be the one to make it. If you do nothing, or try to stall for too long, both of them will perish and you will be consigned to suffer alone."

"Why?" She demanded, her voice cracking slightly. "Why do I have to be the one to choose? Why can't you? Why does there have to be a decision at all? What is going on?"

"Because…" He explained. "You must be the one to choose because you are the one they both trust. No one else can fill your place in their hearts, and both of them are relying on you to pick them over the other."

Ib shook her head violently, her whole being rebelling against the thought of doing such a terrible thing.

"No." She said. "I can't do this. You can't expect me to! I don't even understand what I'm choosing. Who are they? Why do they feel so familiar?"

He regarded her from beneath the folds of his hood. She felt his eyes boring into her, knowing so much more than he was telling. She couldn't help but wonder what his part in all of this was.

"I had hoped to spare you from the pain of deciding while you were aware of the stakes." He said, speaking slowly as though lost in thought. "But perhaps that isn't the way. Maybe… hmmm…"

He stood in silence for several moments, his gaze turned away from her. Ib could feel her heart rate begin to pick up. She didn't have the slightest idea what thoughts were going through his head, but something told her that they were vital to her situation.

"Maybe there is another way." He said at last. "Instead of a blind choice, would you prefer to see the aftermath of your decision?"

"What does that mean? I don't understand." His words made little sense to her, and yet she found herself hanging on them with breathless anticipation.

"What I'm saying is that you could see the consequences of each choice." He said. "You can go through both paths and make your choice based on their outcomes."

"You can do that?" Ib questioned, a note of wonder entering her voice.

The man chuckled at her reaction. "Yes I believe so. It isn't perfect, and it won't last forever, but I should be able to let you live with both options for a time."

Her mind took several seconds to process just what was being said. Here she was, forced to make a terrible choice that only _she_ could. He was letting her see both of their results… That would be better wouldn't it? To know what she was getting into? Surely that was the better option.

And yet…

What if neither choice was better? What if understanding them only made the sacrifice more painful? Could she bring herself to choose if she knew how bad they could both be?

Steeling her resolve, Ib turned to face him. All her willpower went into standing tall and sure in the face of the unknown.

"Show me."

The figure didn't give any inclination about his own feelings on her decision. Whether he approved or not was entirely open to interpretation.

"Breathe deep." He said, making his way over to her. He raised one hand to her forehead, placing it as though he were blessing her.

"Close your eyes child. The next time you open them, your whole world will change."

Ib did as she was told. Closing her eyes, she drew in a large breath of air. At first there was no sign of any difference, but soon the weight of the man's hand faded away. It wasn't the only thing either.

Slowly, all of her sense began to drift into oblivion. Ib fought against the encroaching darkness with the strength of sudden panic, but she still couldn't resist. She was falling into the gaping pit with nothing to hold her afloat.

The last thought she had before darkness engulfed her was the remembrance of two names.

Garry and Mary.


	2. The Yellow Rose

**Intro part 1**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

Ib muttered in her sleep, nuzzling into her pillow as she lay suspended in the hazy halfway point between dreaming and waking. Something from her dream lingered in the back of her mind, but she couldn't seem to focus enough to figure out what it was.

Something about a choice…

What _had_ she been dreaming? The vague image of a robed man surfaced beneath her closed eyelids. He had been involved somehow, and yet she had no idea who it was. Had she asked him his name? Maybe he was an unconscious representation of something. Blearily, her barely-functioning mind tried to go over some of the things she remembered from psychology class.

Fear of the unknown maybe? Probably not, she didn't remember being all that afraid of him. Then again, maybe being overly calm about talking to a total stranger in a robe was a sign that you needed to be more liberal with pepper spray.

A slight creaking in the floorboards alerted her to the fact that someone else was in her room. Was it the robed man? No wait, he had been in the dream. Or had he? She was going to feel awfully silly if he was someone she knew and had just forgotten.

Ib was distantly aware of a strange whooshing sound, followed by a light weight settling in the palm of her hand.

Before she could give some very slow consideration to the sensation, the tip of her nose began to itch. In her daze, she wriggled it back and forth but the annoying feeling refused to abate. It wasn't long before she fell into the trap.

Seeing no other alternative, her mind did the only logical thing and told her arm to swat away whatever was causing the itching. The impact of hand on face was marked by a wet squishing sound and the feeling of something cold and moist splattering all over her head.

Now fully awake, Ib's eyes shot open.

"MARY!"

The blonde girl doubled over, her body shaking with laughter at the site of her prank coming to fruition. She clung to the side of Ib's bed to avoid falling over.

Groaning, Ib looked in her bedside mirror to survey the damage. Whipped cream had turned the majority of her face white, and several chunks had even fallen down her neck onto the hem of her nightgown. The only consolation she had was that very little had ended up in her hair.

"You know, if you wanted to wake me up that badly you could have just shaken me." She said, directing a grumpy glare at the other girl.

Mary was unable to answer, all of her effort being used to try and get herself back under control. She even had to wipe away several tears of mirth that threatened to fall from her eyes.

"It. Wasn't. That. Funny." Ib grumbled.

"Are you kidding?" Mary asked, gasping for breath with a massive grin on her face. "Your face was priceless. I wish I had set up a camera, even you would agree if you could have seen it."

"Is there a reason you did that, or should I just call my lawyer for assault now?"

Mary rolled her eyes, giving the brunette a good natured shove.

"Don't be like that." She said. "You need a bit of humor. If it weren't for me you would be the single most depressing person on the face of the Earth."

"I'm not depressing." Ib mumbled, half-hoping she would be able to go back to bed. "I'm just not all that good at holding long conversations with total strangers."

Mary seemed to take pity on her victim. "Come on." She said, taking Ib's hand in her own. "I'll help you wash it off if you promise to stop being so gloomy."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ib was seated at the dining room table eating a bowl of soggy cereal. While it wasn't the most creative of breakfasts, it was by far the safest. Trying to cook without a recipe and instructions in hand always felt like tempting fate.

Mary had already eaten long before she had opted to wake up her companion. Now, she was furiously scribbling line after line of writing on a piece of paper. Each one was another idea for things that the two of them would be doing over their extended vacation.

Ib's mother and father had taken a flight to some exotic resort. They had said that they wanted to have a romantic getaway, as well as a few other things that she _really _didn't want to think about too hard. While they were away, the girls would have the house all to themselves. It was an opportunity Mary had wasted no time in getting excited for.

There were rules of course. There were to be no visitors in the house while mom and dad were away. The car was only to be used in an emergency situation, or if they badly needed to pick something up at the store. Come to think of it, that might not have been the best way to phrase that rule seeing as it was open to Mary's interpretation. Lastly, they had to promise that they would never, under any circumstances, go anywhere with a stranger.

It might have been the late night horror movie marathons influencing her, but Ib felt that last rule went without saying.

All in all, it was shaping up to be a fairly 'interesting' vacation if they got around to even half of the things on Mary's list.

Ib let her mind start to drift as she went through the monotonous routine of eating. She didn't have all that many plans of her own for their time off. It was a shame too; it wasn't often that they had this much time without responsibility. Ever since she had gotten the job at the bookstore, most of her leisure hours had gone either into work or school. At the very least, it caused Mary to start reading more. It was only an excuse for her to stay close to Ib during her work time, but the brunette was glad that they would at least have something in common.

Very slowly, her thoughts drifted back to the dream. She had trouble making out the details, but the robed man still remained fixed in her memory. He had told her something important. Now if only she could remember what it was…

"HellOOOooo, is anyone home in there?" Mary chimed, snapping her fingers in front of Ib's face.

"Oh- uh- sorry, what was that?" Ib asked as she was forced out of her unconscious drifting.

The other girl rolled her eyes. "I said do you have anywhere that you wanted to go tomorrow, or should I just pick out somewhere for you?"

"Are we going somewhere?" Ib asked. "I thought we would be taking it easy for the first few days at least."

"You see." Mary sighed. "This is exactly why you need me around. Without me you would never end up doing anything outside of your room."

The brunette raised an eyebrow at that. Both of them knew full well that if anyone was totally dependent on the other, it was Mary. For the longest time, she had been terrified of being alone to the point that she would sometimes latch onto Ib's arm for hours at a time.

Ib turned to the girl, about to make a clever retort, when her voice suddenly caught in her throat.

_You must be the one to choose…_

The robed man's words came back to her in a rush. Mary's smiling face was suddenly replaced by the sight of her burning, her mouth open in a silent scream. The two images flickered back and forth so fast that they made Ib's head spin until reality finally seemed to realize its mistake, and the picture of normalcy slammed back into place.

"Ib?" Mary's voice was tinged with concern at her sudden paleness. "Are you all right?"

She couldn't respond. Her jaw simply opened and closed in shock at the horrific vision that she had witnessed. It had seemed so vivid. Almost as if it was happening for real.

Blue and yellow… The two colors surfaced in her mind as she realized what the implications of her hallucination were.

Ten years earlier, Ib had been an only child. She had been a very quiet kid, raised by two doting parents. Never in her wildest dreams had she thought she would have someone like Mary for a sibling.

That all changed during her visit to the Guertena memorial exhibit. In sheer defiance to the laws of reality, she had been drawn into a living nightmare. The Fabricated World. In that place she had braved sinister creatures that would have made axe murderers run crying to their mothers.

Along the way, she had met Garry and Mary. The two other victims of the gallery had become quick friends with the nearly silent girl. Garry was protective and caring, even though he wasn't all that brave by himself. Mary was an enthusiastic bundle of energy that had taken to Ib like a fish to water.

Then things had fallen apart.

Garry had been separated from the two of them, and had somehow found out Mary's darkest secret. The happy, friendly, blonde girl was in fact not a girl at all. She was a painting. The last, and arguably greatest, work of the painter Weiss Guertena.

In a sickening turn of events, Mary had stolen Ib's rose to prevent the two from leaving her behind. Garry had been forced bartered away his own rose to save her. Little did either of them know that this was exactly what Mary had wanted.

The painted girl was trapped in the Fabricated World. She had been trapped for an agonizingly long time, and the only way for her to escape was by replacing someone on the outside. Garry just so happened to fit the bill perfectly.

Ib had watched helplessly as the violet-haired man slowly slipped away, his life fading with each petal that was torn from his rose. She didn't know how long she had stayed by his side, but it had been a very long time. Endless minutes waiting for him to open his eyes again.

But he never did.

She had hardly known what she was doing when she took the lighter. It didn't matter anymore did it? Garry was gone… Mary had betrayed her… What was the point?

Her body acted on instinct, pursuing the path of the changeling. All the way back to her lair.

A wall of vines blocked her path forward. Ib could feel something behind the plants. It practically exuded loneliness and sorrow. She could have gone through. She could have faced Mary. Maybe she could have even saved Garry.

But she didn't.

Despite everything that the painted girl had done, Ib still felt a bond with her. She knew that if she entered those enclosed doors, only one of them would ever leave. It was too much. She couldn't do it.

Instead she had run away, finding the exit to the real world more by luck than actual active effort. She thought she could escape, but the world of nightmares wasn't finished with her yet. In one last cruel form of irony, it had robbed her of her memories. And who was that waiting for her on the other side? Why it was the same blonde girl who had taken her friend's life.

Mary had escaped by replacing Garry on the outside. Truly fate was laughing when it twisted reality to make her appear as Ib's sister. She was adopted of course, not even the powers of whatever supernatural forces were at work could hide her differences, but nobody seemed to notice her sudden appearance. In all their minds, she had always been Ib's sibling.

For a time the two of them lived happily together. While she was sometimes struck by doubt at her sister's actions, Ib never suspected her true heritage. How could anyone think they shared a house with a living piece of art?

This hadn't lasted forever. Age rips away many illusions, and the buried memories of the gallery refused to stay hidden. Five years after her escape, Ib suffered the most wonderful, horrible, and downright painful experience of her life.

She remembered.

She remembered Garry. She remembered the Fabricated World. And of course, she remembered Mary.

To this day, she still recalled the pain of their fight. She had screamed until her throat bled, shouting hate and demanding answers from her 'sister'. It was by pure chance alone that her parents had been working an overnight shift that day. Even so, she was surprised nobody had called the cops.

Mary had viciously defended her actions as bitter tears coursed down her face, practically spitting out the laws of the Fabricated World that had bound her for so long. She gave every justification that she could think of, but none of her words served to soothe the burning pain that had torn through Ib's heart.

The brunette had slammed the door to her room in Mary's face. In that moment she wanted nothing more than to go back, to have another chance and to burn away the vines that had blocked her way. She had wanted to kill Mary.

Despite her rage, even the hottest of fires burn out eventually. Slowly, unwillingly, she had begun to see things from the painted girl's perspective. Mary had been trapped in a living hell for over a hundred years. The only company she had was the other inhabitants of the gallery, which amounted to almost total isolation. She hadn't chosen the rules. She hadn't done anything to deserve the punishment she had suffered.

And the more Ib thought about it, the less it seemed she had been given a choice.

She and Garry had never given Mary a chance to defend herself. Once her nature was revealed, they had put all their efforts into escaping without her. In a way, the two of them had forced her hand.

The anger she felt slowly drifted away, even as she tried to cling to it. She had opened the door six hours after slamming it to find Mary curled up in a pitiful heap nearby. With tears in her eyes, she had embraced the lost child. Ib could never fully forgive what she had done, but she couldn't blame her for it either.

Still, years later she was continuously wondering; had she made the right choice?

"Ib!? You're scaring me! Say something!"

Ib's head snapped up at the worried tone in Mary's voice. She was currently staring at her with a look of near-panic on her face. Ib was distantly aware of the anxiety in the other girl's eyes. She might not have known what was wrong, but she knew it was bad.

"I-I-I'm fine." Ib stammered out quickly. "I-I think I just zoned out for a minute there."

Mary stared at her, even more shaken then Ib was despite the fact that she hadn't been hit with a wrecking ball of painful memories. She began to speak and get an explanation, but Ib beat her to it.

"How about the amusement park? I mean unless you wanted to save that for later in the week." She knew the blonde loved that place. All those people, the good food (well good tasting at least), and the happy atmosphere were something she couldn't get enough of.

Mary didn't answer at first. She knew Ib was dodging the question, and for a while it looked as though she would demand an answer.

"O-Ok." She said at last. "That would be fine…" She wanted to push the issue, but fear kept her from doing so. Whether Mary feared for her well-being, or was afraid of the possible causes, Ib couldn't tell.

"Right." Ib said, forcing a shaky smile onto her face. "First thing tomorrow, we head for the amusement park. It'll be fun, I promise."

She hoped it would. She could really use some fun right now.

* * *

That night, Ib lay awake in her room staring at the ceiling. Well, calling it _her_ room might not be entirely accurate. She and Mary shared one room with two beds. Some of her friends had expressed surprise when she told them that she still shared a room with her adopted sister, but she found it perfectly normal. Mary had never expressed any desire to get a bedroom of her own, and Ib saw no reason to force her out. Now, if she had _snored_ then they would have a problem, but the blonde girl was lucky enough to be a peaceful sleeper.

Ib's mind drifted back to the encounter with the robed man. She really didn't want to think about him right now, but at the same time she couldn't stop.

_The choice will have to be made eventually…_

She already made the choice, didn't she? Maybe not during her time in the gallery, but she certainly thought she had when she had opened the door to hold Mary. While Ib still felt terrible about leaving Garry behind, she could never leave her.

…Could she…?

NO! Mary was here. Mary was alive. Mary was her sibling, and her best friend. If this freakish dream was trying to make her change her mind, it was ten years too late. That's just all there was to it.

Sighing, Ib turned over to catch a glimpse of Mary's sleeping form. She still remembered the promise that the two of them had made. They promised that they would be together forever, and nothing was going to make her regret those words.

She forced all thoughts of the dream out of her head as her eyes closed. Tomorrow the two of them would go to the amusement park. They would have fun, eat junk food, and maybe even get sick from the nausea-inducing rides. Ib would enjoy her vacation and forget all about weird dreams, and strangers with fashion sense that had been outdated since the dark ages.

Through sheer force of will, she managed to calm the turmoil of her mind and eventually drift off to sleep.


	3. The Blue Rose

**Intro part 2**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters **

* * *

Something was off. That was the first thought that entered Ib's mind when she began to awaken from her restless sleep.

First of all, her position was very cramped. As someone who valued personal space, she was _not_ in the habit of falling asleep in tight quarters. Add that to the fact that she was sitting up instead of lying down, and things became very disorienting.

Before she had too much time to wonder about the circumstances of her current sleeping arrangements, someone decided to start shaking her.

"Ma'am?" The voice was feminine and spoke in a quiet tone.

Groggily, Ib managed to force her eyes open to get a better idea of what was going on. She was currently seated in fairly small chair. All around her were rows of other empty chairs that looked to be exact copies of her own. Strangely enough, the room she was in appeared to be some kind of long metal cylinder.

"Ma'am?" The woman shaking her asked again. "Your flight has landed."

Her flight? _Her flight!_

"Oh!" Ib exclaimed, jumping in her seat. "Sorry about that, I- uh- I guess I didn't notice the plane landing." The flight attendant's patient smile did little to ease her burning embarrassment.

She quickly thanked the woman, before grabbing her carryon luggage and rushing to the front of the aircraft. She only paused for a moment to mutter a 'thanks' when another attendant told her to have a good day.

Once into the airport, and away from the scene of her little nap, Ib slowed down enough to catch her breath. She _hated_ being put on the spot unexpectedly. She knew it wasn't all that big a deal to fall asleep on a plane ride, but to sleep through the entire departure and be woken up by a flight attendant? It seemed like the start of some cheesy sitcom.

To prevent herself from dwelling on it too long, she hurried to look for baggage claim. As it turns out, finding a room filled with moving conveyor belts isn't as easy as it sounds. She eventually managed to get there, but not before getting lost twice and almost stumbling into a men's restroom by mistake. Thankfully it seemed that the slow nature of air-travel was working in her favor today as none of the bags had started coming through yet.

_What a way to start your week off_. She thought. This was one of the reasons she rarely went anywhere during vacation times. Something always seemed to go wrong at the worst times. Still, the worst was behind her now. She was off the plane, she hadn't missed her luggage, and soon she would be…

Wait, where would she be?

In a moment of panic, Ib realized that she couldn't remember exactly what she was here for. Was it to visit someone? Was she going to an amusement park or something? She frowned. She knew it wasn't an amusement park, she had stopped enjoying those a long time ago, but the thought seemed strangely familiar.

"Looking for these?"

Ib's heart leapt into her throat at the unexpected voice. Looking up, she suddenly remembered _exactly_ why she was here.

"Garry!" She darted forward, crushing the man in a bear hug so tight that it likely would have been considered a war crime in any other circumstances.

"Ib…! Please…! Can't…! Breathe…!" He choked out, his face slowly turning the same shade of violet as his hair.

With just a bit of hesitation she released her death grip on him and he slumped back, almost collapsing as he gasped for air. She couldn't help but smile.

"Sorry." She said, not feeling sorry at all. "I guess I overreacted."

"You think?" Garry asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's only been three weeks, and it's not like I haven't gotten in contact when I had the chance."

This was going to be a very special week. It had taken a lot of work, but Ib had at last managed to convince her parents that Garry was, in fact, a good person. Even after ten years of having known him, they still were just a little suspicious about him hanging around with their daughter. When he had gotten a job several states over, it had been one of the worst days of her life. He had become her best friend despite almost being old enough to be her father.

"Anyway." He said, offering her bags to her once more. "I believe these are yours. I saw them on the belt and thought I'd save you the trouble of finding them."

"Thanks for that." She said, taking them. Her belongings consisted of two suitcases full of clothes and personal hygiene products, as well as a carryon bag holding more leisure oriented items.

"Come on." Garry said. "I'm parked just out front. Let's get your stuff loaded and you can come see where I've been living."

Ib nodded, following along as he showed her the way. This was something she had wanted to do for a very long time now. Ever since he had moved away, the two of them hardly ever got any time together. Phone calls were nice, but no matter how long they were they didn't make up for actual interaction.

As they made their way into the parking lot, Ib was slightly underwhelmed by the car he pointed out as his own. It was a simply designed vehicle with a coat of dark blue paint. Seeing her expression, Garry turned to reassure her.

"I know it doesn't look like much." He said. "But the ride this thing gives is smoother than you would believe. It's like driving on ice, without all the screaming and crashing parts."

She believed, but there was still one thing that was somewhat disappointing.

"Where's the siren?" She asked. "Or did you get stuck driving the bait car?"

Garry chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't get to drive my police cruiser around during my off hours." He explained. "Technically it belongs to the department and not to me."

This was the work that he did now. He was a proud member of the police force, trained and practiced in protecting the people around him. When Ib had first heard about his new occupation, she thought it suited him perfectly. He would be protecting others the same way he had protected her during… during…

Suddenly the dream she had experienced on the plane came back to her in a rush.

_If it weren't for me you would be the single most depressing person on the face of the Earth._

She saw it. Mary. Her 'sister'. Their plans to go to the amusement park. Even the robed man. What the hell had _he_ been? A dream inside a dream? Did that even make sense?

"You all right Ib?" Garry asked, seeing her expression.

She tried to answer, to tell him that she was fine or something like that, but the moment she looked at him it happened again. The same way she saw Mary burning in her dream, she now saw Garry; crumpled in a forgotten heap and wasting away. The cruel pictures shot back and forth the same way they had before, blending into one horrible mosaic. This time she didn't wait for them to right themselves, and forced herself back to normalcy in a jarring transition.

"Whoa, hey! What's wrong?" He questioned, grabbing her shoulders to steady her. She hadn't even realized she was shaking.

It took several seconds, but Ib eventually managed to get a hold of herself.

"I-I'm fine." It was a flimsy lie and he wasn't buying it.

"What was that about?" Garry asked. "Are you sick or something? You looked like you were about to fall over."

She didn't want to talk about it right now, but she also didn't want to attract attention by making a scene. There was no easy way out.

"I'll tell you in the car." Ib said, willing her voice not to tremble. "It's a bit of a long story and I don't really want to discuss it here." He was frowning, but accepted her answer.

"I can put your stuff in the trunk." He said. "Why don't you take a seat up front?"

She gratefully handed him her luggage before making her way to the front passenger seat. Practically collapsing into the leather seat, she began taking deep breaths to calm down.

_It's fine._ She told herself. _It was just a dream. It can't do anything. Just a dream where Garry was dead… and where you had a mentally unstable painting as a sister… _

Garry soon got into the driver's seat, and started the car. The two of them were off. For the first five minutes or so, they sat in silence. Ib tried to keep track of where they were going, but the overwhelmingly unfamiliar surroundings made that impossible.

"So…" Garry began. "Any crippling tragedies that you'd like to discuss?" Someday she would have to teach him about tact.

"It's nothing to worry about." She assured. "It was just… well… I guess I just had a really strange dream on my way here." Not to mention how real it had felt.

"Weird how exactly? Was it people without faces, talking backwards? Because _that_ would be a weird dream."

Ib rolled her eyes at his blatant attempt to lighten the mood.

"Not weird like that." She said. "More like strange. It was about… well… I think it was about Mary."

Silence descended like an iron curtain. It had been ten years, but both of them still vividly remembered the painted child that had tried to use them. For a very long time, Ib had woken up in a cold sweat when nightmares of the girl haunted her. She had often been tormented by the vicious image of a keen knife streaking towards her, but the worst was when she lay awake remembering the way Mary burned. Wondering if she had done the right thing. The girl had wanted nothing more than to live. She had been denied the basic needs that most people took for granted. Life, love, happiness…

Could she have done something differently? Surely Garry would have died if she hadn't put an end to Mary. That would have been the worse of two evils wouldn't it? Try as she might, Ib could never seem to convince herself of that. There was always a hint of doubt lingering in the back of her mind.

Garry laid a comforting hand on her knee, not taking his eyes off the road.

"She can't hurt you Ib." He said. "None of them can. We made it out, and we're not ever going back into that place."

"Thanks, but it wasn't like that." She said. "In the dream she was, at least I think she was, my sister." She wasn't able to finish with as much conviction as she had hoped.

"Your sister." He repeated. Ib nodded, not entirely trusting herself to speak.

"Well, that explains a lot." Garry said. "I'd probably have a breakdown too if she were part of my family."

She had a very hard time keeping a straight face after that comment.

"I think she was supposed to be adopted or something." She explained. "Both she and I knew about where she came from, but I don't think anyone else did."

"What did I have to say about this?" Garry asked. "Did I hold up a cross while saying 'The power of Christ compels you!' Or did I just lock myself in the bathroom?"

That elicited a small giggle at the mental image.

"No, you were…" _dead_ "You weren't there for some reason. The whole thing was awfully strange, but it almost seemed like we were getting along. She didn't seem all that crazy, and we were planning how we were going to spend our vacation."

"Huh." Gary mused. "Sounds like it could have been a lot worse. You could have been locked in a dark room, with a lot of dolls. Dolls, who I might point out, _were not cute in the slightest, _despite what some others might say."

"Don't be a wuss." Ib said. "You survived."

"I'll have you know it was very traumatizing." He said, poking her side with his free hand for emphasis. "I _still_ can't enter a dark room without freaking out."

"Do you sleep with a nightlight?" She asked, trying to hold back laughter.

"Ha ha, very funny." He replied with as much sarcasm as possible. "You've crushed my self-esteem. Now I'll have to buy a diary and write in it whenever you bully me."

The rest of the car ride continued on like that, with the two of them throwing verbal prods while trying to make light of past trials. By the time they pulled into the parking lot near Garry's apartment complex, Ib was feeling better than she had in months.

"Here we are." He said, helping her out of the car. "Home sweet home. Well, sweet until night falls. Then you have to start walking around with keys in your fist."

"Some of us prefer pepper spray." She replied.

The two of them made their way to the front entrance. It was then that Ib noticed something peculiar. The sky was unusually dark for being so early in the day, and try as she might she couldn't hear any noise from the rest of the city. That wasn't normal was it? Cities were supposed to have cars blaring at every hour of the day.

She turned to mention this to Garry when something caught her eye. Crouching near a dumpster in the alley was the largest dog she had ever seen. At least, she thought it was a dog. It was mostly hidden by long shadows, but it had the body of a large canine. She stood rooted to the spot. The beast's glowing eyes looked back at her in an unblinking gaze.

"Hey Ib, are you sure you're feeling ok?" Garry's voice distracted her for a moment.

"Yea, I was just looking at-"

It was gone.

In the brief moment she had looked away, the dog had vanished from the alley as if it had never been there at all. What's more, the cacophonous noises that the city was known for had returned.

"Uh, Garry?" She began, feeling more than a little uneasy. "Are there a lot of strays around here?"

He shrugged. "Sure, there are bound to be a few hanging around. Why do you ask?"

"I just thought I saw…" She started, but changed her mind. "Never mind. It's fine. I think I'm just suffering from jet lag or something."

"I don't think you can get jet lag from just going a couple states over." Garry replied, chuckling. "Let's get inside, and I'll show you where you'll be staying for the next week."

Entering the main lobby of the apartment building almost felt like going into a hotel. Though, hotels tended to have the receptionists smile at you. They also smelled better. Thankfully she had better things planned than enjoying the charming atmosphere of city living.

Lugging her bags, she got into the elevator behind him. It was cramped, but she didn't mind. Garry was one of the few people she liked being around for extensive periods of time.

"Second floor. You might want to hold onto something."

She barely had time to register his warning before the elevator gave a lurch, threatening to topple her over. He had expected this though, and quickly lent a supporting arm to keep her on her feet.

"Sorry about that." He said. "This place is kind of old, so the machinery tends to be a bit jerky at times."

"It's fine." Ib said, silently vowing to take the stairs from here on out.

Garry silently rehearsed the numbers on the doors they passed as he walked. He finally came to a stop in front of room 3-C.

"Here we are." He said, opening the door. "Go ahead and make yourself comfortable. The main bedroom is yours. I'll be sleeping on the couch."

"You don't have to do that for me." She said. "I can sleep on the couch; this is your home after all." She tried to move towards the mentioned piece of furniture, but he was having none of it.

"No, I insist." He said, pointing her towards the room. "You're my guest. Besides, if I made you sleep on the couch your parents would probably hunt me down."

Seeing that he wouldn't be changing his mind any time soon, she relented.

"Once you finish unpacking, we can talk about getting something to eat." He said. "I'm guessing they didn't feed you on the flight?"

"They tried to." She replied. "I knew better though. I've seen the kind of food they serve."

"Probably a good decision." He assured with a smile.

Ib opened the door to the room where she was to be staying. It wasn't the largest bedroom she had ever seen, but it wasn't all that small either. Two moderately sized dressers were pushed up against one of the walls. Upon closer inspection, she found that both of them had been cleaned out for her to use.

_Where is he storing HIS clothes? _She wondered. There hadn't been any other obvious storage containers in the main room, but maybe she had missed something.

A lamp and a small electric alarm clock adorned the end table near the bed. Neither were particularly noteworthy, so she turned to the bed instead.

This was Garry's bed. It felt a bit strange to know that she would be sleeping in his bed. Not _bad_ strange, but still. She wondered what her dad would say.

Sitting down, she was pleasantly surprised to find that it was far softer than she had expected. All at once the fatigue of travel caught up with her. She wanted to finish unpacking, but at the same time she was starting to have trouble keeping her eyes open.

_A quick nap won't hurt_. She thought to herself, leaning into the pillow. _He'll understand._

Before long, she was sound asleep.

* * *

**You felt it?**

_Yea I did. How could I not?_

**Do you think it will be trouble?**

_Might be. I'll have to check it out first, so don't do anything hasty._

**I could solve it myself you know. It would be a lot faster.**

_I know you could, but I don't feel like cleaning up the mess. I'll go take a look. If our uninvited guest continues to be a nuisance, then you can have at them._

**Grrrr. I hate waiting.**

_I know you do. _


	4. Meeting in the Park

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

Waking up this morning was one of the strangest experiences of Ib's life. She shot straight up to find that she was situated in her room. Of course she was in her room, where else would she be?

In a friend's apartment, that's where.

She distinctly remembered unpacking and deciding to take a nap. In _his_ bed. Garry's bed. Garry the-man-who-died-ten-years-ago's bed. That wasn't the strangest bit either. When she had been talking with Garry, she had remembered Mary also. She had thought that her unconventional sibling was the dream, but that wasn't right.

She was positive that she was awake right now, so that meant her meeting with Garry must have been the dream. But that still didn't make much sense either. Ib had never been to a big city, so why would she imagine going there to meet with him? Was it some subconscious representation of the Fabricated World?

That didn't explain why it had been so vivid. She knew you didn't typically realize your asleep when in a dream, but everything had seemed so _real_.

Ib shook her head vehemently, as though she were trying to dislodge the uncomfortable images by force.

It wasn't like she'd never dreamed about him before, but to have a sudden onset of such intensity was something she wasn't used to. _It doesn't matter_. She thought to herself. _You probably were just freaked out about yesterday. Maybe stop reading so much of Poe's work. _

Besides, she had plans for today and no freaky mental issues were going to ruin them for her.

A quick look at Mary's empty bed told her that the blonde was already up. Wanting to get the lingering fear out of her head as soon as possible, Ib quickly got dressed and headed downstairs. She would feel better after their trip to the park. Some fresh air and excitement would be just what she needed.

Upon reaching the ground floor however, she was stopped by an odd sight. Mary was fast asleep on the couch with her pajamas still on.

Had she slept out there all night? Surely not, Ib distinctly remembered her falling asleep in their room. She walked over to the sleeping girl and shook her shoulder lightly to avoid startling her.

Mary slowly opened her eyes, peering up at Ib through un-brushed blonde hair.

"Hey there." Ib greeted. "Did you take up residence in the living room, or am I missing something?"

The other girl seemed confused at first, but she soon realized where she was.

"Oh, that." Mary said. "I came down here last night. You were talking too much for me to get any rest."

Ib frowned. "I was talking in my sleep?"

"Yeah." Mary confirmed, nodding. "I didn't want to wake you since you seemed to be happy. Was it a good dream?"

Define good.

"Sort of…" She said, still not entirely understanding it herself. "I'll tell you about it later. Right now how about you go get dressed. We have a big day planned after all, don't we?"

"That's right!" Mary exclaimed, jumping to her feet. "I almost forgot. Wait here, I'll be ready in a minute!" Without wasting a second, she dashed headlong up the stairs and back into their room.

Ib watched her go with an amused smile. She took this opportunity to settle down in the kitchen and make some breakfast. Despite Mary's assurances, she knew the girl would not be ready to go any time soon. She had to make everything one hundred percent _perfect_ before she would consider going out in public.

Ib pondered whether that was due to her own need for other's approval, or the fact that she was 'born' a painting therefore having an instinctive need for perfection.

Maybe she was over-thinking it. It wasn't like wanting to look your best was some sort of medical condition or something. In all likelihood, it was just Mary being Mary.

Putting some toast in the toaster, she settled down to get ready for the day.

* * *

The park didn't disappoint. After their long walk, Ib had started to wonder if this was such a good idea. The image that greeted them however, dispelled any doubt in her mind. For a moment, the two of them simply stood drinking in the sights and sounds of the world around them. The air of excitement and fun was so infectious that she found herself feeling just as giddy as Mary looked.

"So…?" She began, turning towards the blonde. "What do you want to do first?"

Asking in such a way might not have been the best idea. Without any further warning, Mary grabbed her hand and half-led half-dragged Ib into the park. It turns out that there wasn't a single thing she _didn't _want to do. The next three hours were a blur of motion, followed by waiting in lines, and topped off by even more frenzied activity.

First came the roller coasters. At every peak, Ib's stomach would lurch into her throat as she looked out across the dizzying drop. The few seconds of breathless anticipation were only broken by Mary grabbing both of her arms, and forcing them into the air as they started to fall. This made the already terrifying rush much more intense.

Ib soon got her revenge however…

On the tilt-a-whirl she made sure to sit lightly in her booth. When they hit a high-speed turn, she would allow herself to be propelled into Mary causing both of them to shift dramatically while the ride increased in speed. This led to the two of them falling all over themselves in a heap. The bumping disoriented them both so much that by the time it was over, neither could have confidently said which direction was up.

Then came the house of mirrors. At first, the strange distortion was a blast. The two of them became hopelessly lost, calling out to each other and having a fit of laughter whenever one of them went face-first into a piece of glass. That didn't last. After a while, the mirrors began to remind Ib far too much of the Fabricated World. Mary seemed to agree, latching onto her arm like a frightened child. They both hurried to the exit and agreed never to try that attraction again.

After an exhausting amount of time, the two girls settled down to have a nice lunch of overpriced, heavily processed, junk food. It was a bit more expensive then what Ib was comfortable with, but she supposed that it was a special occasion. Besides, Mary didn't exactly have any money on her anyway so she would be paying more regardless.

They chose an outside table that was protected from the sun by a large umbrella. Ib fought off the heat of the day with a soda while Mary opted to take up arms in the form of a strawberry slushie. The combination of ice cold liquid and sugar worked wonders.

Ib took this opportunity to check her watch. It was starting to get a bit late, but they still had time to go on a few final rides. Before she could pick any out, her sister spoke up.

"_So_? Are you going to tell me yet?" She asked, poking the red eyed girl with her straw.

"Tell you what?" Ib asked.

"About the dream you were having. You said you would tell me later, and now seems like a good time doesn't it?"

"Oh, that." She had forgotten all about the dream. She was tempted to simply dismiss it, but something stopped her. For some reason, she felt that it might be important for Mary to hear about it.

"Well…" Ib began. "This is going to sound strange, but let me finish before you start asking questions ok?" The blonde nodded.

"The dream was about Garry."

All at once, the temperature seemed to drop at least twenty degrees. Even after everything that had happened, even after their fight, she knew her sister had strong unpleasant feelings about the man. She never spoke badly about him, more for Ib's sake than anything, but to Mary he would always be the person that tried to take her future away.

After several tense seconds, she firmly clamped her mouth shut to prevent herself from asking the barrage of questions that she no doubt had. At her nod, Ib continued.

"The thing is, there was nothing weird or freaky about it." Some small detail whispered in the back of her mind telling her that there _was_ something happening in the dream, but she pushed it away.

"There was no being chased by paintings, or being sucked into other worlds, I was just visiting him for a week." Almost like the week off she was sharing with Mary.

"He was living in another city working as a police officer. The strangest part was that I remembered all of _this_…" she said gesturing towards Mary and back at herself. "… but for some reason I thought that you were the dream, and he was real. I can't really explain it but for some reason he was here instead of you."

The words had already left her mouth before she realized how poorly they had been phrased. Bracing herself, she got ready for the backlash that she was sure would follow.

Any minute now.

She was going to be angry…

Any second now…

But the words never came. Ib had been convinced that the other girl would be very upset by the idea of Garry taking her place. But instead of exploding she looked down, seeming to shrink in on herself. When she finally spoke, her voice was small and timid.

"Is that… what you would want…?"

Ib stared in shock, unable to formulate a response. She couldn't believe that Mary had just asked that. After a moment, she got to her feet, walked around the table, sat on the bench next to her sister, and wrapped her arms around the girl in a firm embrace.

"Of course not." She said, refusing to allow even the slightest amount of doubt to enter her voice. "I would never abandon you. Why would you even think that?"

Mary was having trouble responding. When she did, her voice betrayed her by cracking.

"You looked so… _happy_ Ib." She said. "You were smiling. As in an honest, real, happy smile. The kind you hardly ever do. I thought you were dreaming about our graduation, or your favorite birthday, or, or…" The rest of her sentence drifted off to nothingness.

Ib placed her hands on either side of Mary's head. Turning them until she was forced to look her in the eyes.

"It doesn't matter how I looked when I was asleep." She assured. "I wouldn't trade you for anything. Besides, it wasn't real." No matter how real it felt at the time.

Mary buried her head in Ib's shoulder, gently pressing against the fabric of her shirt. Some passerby's gave them a couple of odd looks, but they were ignored for the most part.

"Come on." Ib said, pulling out a ten dollar bill. "Why don't you go get another slushie? Would that cheer you up?"

"I don't think I could drink another." She said.

"We could share it." The brunette suggested. That idea seemed to make Mary feel a bit better.

"All right." She conceded. "I'll be right back." She accepted the money and went back inside the snack booth. She still looked somewhat down, but it wasn't as bad as before.

Once she was out of sight, Ib leaned back on the bench heavily. Had she really been smiling like that? Sure she had been happy around Garry, but had it been better than now? No, she decided. It had been different but not better. There was still something missing. That something being Mary. The former painting had become so much a part of Ib's life at this point that she couldn't imagine living without her.

There was something else that she was forgetting. For some reason it felt important. Her brow furrowed as she tried to pinpoint exactly what it was.

She was so intent on trying to figure out her dream that she didn't notice the change in atmosphere at first. It was only when she looked up at the sky on a whim that she noticed something was wrong.

_That's awfully dark for being so early._ She thought. It was then that she noticed the lack of noise. Startled, she quickly looked around to find that she was alone in the park. _How long was I sitting here for!?_

Had she zoned out so completely that she didn't notice the place closing down? No, that couldn't be it; Mary had just left to buy another drink. She would have alerted Ib if something was going on. Even if for some reason she hadn't, one of the park staff would have. What's more, it wasn't simply that there were no people. There was no anything. No birds singing, no animals making noise, not even a breeze.

That was when she remembered the dog. When she had been walking with Garry, she had seen a strange looking canine in an alleyway. In that moment, all other sound had stopped.

That couldn't be what was happening now could it? It had just been a dream. She knew full well that she was entirely awake right now, so that's what it had to be.

Ib shook her head at herself. She was nineteen years old damn it, and here she was acting like a kid. She could easily find out what had happened. Getting to her feet, she set out in search of someone else.

She began walking towards the snack booth. That was where Mary would be, and even if she wasn't there would likely be someone who had seen her. Assuming the place had closed down without her noticing, there should still be employees cleaning up after the day's rush.

She didn't have to look long. Before she even made it to the booth, Ib was relieved to see a young man standing next to the entrance to the Ferris Wheel. There was a lit cigarette in his hand, so he was probably a worker on break. Adjusting her course, she headed towards him to find out exactly what was going on.

As she approached, Ib was struck by a sudden feeling of trepidation. Something was very wrong.

Her steps slowed as she realized that he was watching her. He stood around six feet tall, wearing a battered vest and cargo pants. The closer she got, the more she realized that his presence seemed off somehow.

He held himself perfectly motionless without any small unconscious movements that most people had. It was almost reptilian. Everything about his posture and body language seemed as though it were carefully implemented in order to create the illusion of idle boredom. Despite carrying the cigarette, he never once raised it to his lips.

"Uh… hello?" Ib called, unsure how exactly to approach him.

He stared back with an unblinking gaze. For a moment there was no reaction, but eventually he pushed himself away from the fence he had been leaning on and walked towards her.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" His voice sounded like water on steel. Far too smooth to be natural. "I must admit I was expecting someone a bit taller."

"Excuse me?" Ib asked, starting to back away a bit. "What are you talking about? How could you be expecting me?"

He stopped several feet away. By now it was painfully obvious that something was terribly wrong with him. The intensity of his gaze almost hurt.

"She doesn't know anything, does she?" He seemed to be talking more to himself than to her. "Or maybe she's just playing dumb. Hmmm. How should we go about finding out?"

Swallowing her fear, Ib decided to take matters into her own hands.

"Hey!" She said. "Listen, I'm looking for my sister. She's about my height, blonde, and wearing a green dress. Have you seen her? Or anyone else for that matter?"

He raised a hand to his chin, as though giving serious consideration to the question.

"Can't say I have." He said. "Not today at least. I might have yesterday. Or was it tomorrow? I can never remember how it works in this place…"

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, getting tired of this whole thing very quickly.

He shook his head, clearing it of whatever strange thoughts had been distracting him.

"That isn't important." He said. "What is important is what you've been doing. Barging into places you don't belong. You need to stop that."

"Stop _what_?" Ib demanded. "You're not making any sense! How about you-"

He darted forward, grabbing both her arms in a vice-like grip. His cigarette fell forgotten to the ground where it was extinguished with a small hiss. His face got dangerously close and all of a sudden she became very aware of the fact that the two of them were all alone.

"Maybe we shouldn't bother taking the chance. Maybe we should fix this right now."

"_HEY!"_ Both of them turned in the direction of the shout. Before either could react, the man was hit full force by an ice cold slushie hurled from the hands of an enraged sibling.

"Get the hell away from her you pervert!" Mary screamed, murder thundering through her features. She charged forward, shoving him bodily to the ground while standing in front of Ib protectively. For once, she was very glad that Mary was so possessive.

The man got to his feet. The features of his face were twisted in a feral snarl, and for an instant it looked like he would hit back. In the end however, he did the opposite. He started laughing. Both girls watched uneasily as he shook with mirth.

"Why look at that." He said, getting control of himself again. "She has her own personal attack dog too. Such a nice looking one too. Some might even say she's as pretty as a _picture_."

Mary flinched at the emphasis he put on the last word.

"This is getting interesting." He said. "I think I'll have to sit back and watch for a while longer. Take care now, I'll be seeing you real soon."

Without another word, he turned and left. As he vanished around the bend, the sights and sounds of the park came back. Ib blinked in shock as she was once again assaulted by the noise of hundreds of people enjoying the park.

"Come on Ib." Mary said, taking her hand. "Let's get out of here."

She didn't argue. After that experience, she certainly didn't feel like being in the park a moment longer.

With several nervous backward glances, the two of them headed for home.


	5. Get Ready for War

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

The robed man was old. There was simply no other way to put it. He had existed for far longer than he had any right to, and yet in this moment he didn't feel his age at all. The only thing he felt, the only thing he was _capable_ of feeling, was outrage.

He stormed through the darkened mists of his home, the air itself seeming to shrink back in fear at his passing. Each step was a thunderclap, echoing out a warning to whatever beasts lurked in the shadows. He had someone to speak to and nothing would deny him.

"I know your can hear me!" His voice burned through the atmosphere, cascading into every corner of the forsaken place. "Show yourself you cur!"

A lilt of mocking laugher answered his shout. The shadows suddenly grew sinister as they became even darker then they had been before. A single figure began to take shape in the growing darkness.

"Awfully presumptuous to think you can call on me in such a way old man." The figure solidified into the image of a young man, wearing a vest and cargo pants. "Last I checked, you weren't very high in the pecking order."

The robed man trembled with fury at the creature, the ground shuddering as it began to feel the effects of his intense anger.

"You approached her." He spat the words as though they were the foulest of curses. "You. Will. Not. Touch. Her. Is _that _clearfiend?"

The young man raised an eyebrow with a sinister grin.

"My, my, you seem awfully protective of her. I wonder why that is?" He approached the robed man until the two of them were only an arms-length apart. "I would have thought you'd be more worried about the other one. I could have killed her you know. Almost did. She shoved me, and you know how much I dislike that sort of thing."

That set him off. The ground beneath the robed man's feet cracked open, hellish red light pouring from the fractures. In an instant, he was at the boy's throat. Even with the hood blocking any view of his face, it was obvious that he wore an expression of homicidal rage.

"Enough!" He screamed. "Do not speak of things you don't understand! You will not harm them, _any of them, _or else I will ensure that your final moments are spent in suffering like you never imagined!"

The young man didn't flinch or try to fight his grip. Instead, he began chuckling as a condescending smile worked its way onto his face.

"I understand more than you could possibly know." He spat, staring straight back into the hidden eyes of his aggressor. "I_ understand_ that, despite where you are, you are still very human. I _understand_ that you invited another human into my home without my permission. And I _understand_ that you are treading on highly hazardous ground right now."

After several tension filled moments, the robed man's anger cooled enough for him to see the danger of his current situation. Slowly releasing the other man's neck, he backed away a little at a time.

"I beg your forgiveness." He said, casting his eyes down. "I overstepped my boundaries. Please, these people are no threat to you. They are… friends. Of a sort. I only seek to help them in what small way I can."

The boy shook his head. "Groveling like a neutered dog. I think I preferred your threats." His gaze suddenly sharpened. "What are they to you anyhow, hmmm? Those three seem to be far too important to just be friends you're looking out for. After all, you chose to bring one of them here, knowing full well that I would find out."

The old man shied away from his piercing glance.

"I owe them." He said softly. "Their suffering is my fault. I must try to help them. I say again, they are no threat to you. Only Ib was here, and only for a very brief amount of time. She doesn't even realize where _here _is. It will be over soon. I will come to her again so that she can make her final decision and they will not bother you again."

"Touching." The creature stated dryly. "It certainly sounds like a story you'll have to tell me sometime, but right now I think I'll need to disappoint you. I'm afraid it's too late to do nothing. The others have taken notice."

The elderly figure flinched as though he had been struck.

"No! They can't have…"

"What did you think was going to happen?" The boy questioned, thoroughly enjoying his discomfort. "You take a juicy steak, parade it around under their noses, and expect them to ignore it? Are you getting senile in your old age?"

The cloth clad man threw himself at the other figure's feet. All signs of his previous rage were replaced by desperate begging.

"Please! You must stop them!" His voice took on a frantic edge. "They have done nothing wrong. The others have no claim on them, nor do you!"

The young man sneered down at him, unsympathetic to his plight.

"You're getting awfully high and mighty to tell me what I can and can't do." He remarked. "As it so happens, all three of them are well within our jurisdiction. The man and the… _thing_ are both mutually responsible for each other's deaths. That allows us to judge them as we see fit. And your red eyed princess…" His grin became feral. "She wandered into a place that no simple girl should have ever entered. She's fair game after that."

"Her intrusion here was my doing." The robed man insisted. "She is blameless in this. I was trying to help her!"

The creature shook his head sadly.

"You didn't learn your lesson the first time, did you?" He asked. "As I recall, Ib isn't the first girl you tried to 'help' now is she? When will you learn that the road to hell is paved in good intentions?"

He turned his back on the crumpled figure, striding off into the darkness once more.

"Don't worry too much." He goaded. "_I_ won't be taking any hand in this quite yet. Who knows, maybe they won't all die horribly." He disappeared into the shadows, leaving the robed man with a parting laugh.

The old man struggled to rise. It couldn't end like this! Not after everything that had happened! There must be something he could do to save them, something to keep them from suffering further. He wouldn't let his mistakes cause them any more pain then they already had.

He began walking in the opposite direction of the younger man, his steps slowly building in strength as his resolve returned.

He had work to do, and no eldritch abomination would stop him.

* * *

It was dark by the time they got home, but nowhere near as dark as Mary's mood. She had been absolutely livid ever since leaving the park, alternating between checking on Ib's well-being and fuming about the sheer nerve that the man in the park had.

"I should have stomped on his stinking throat." She grumbled, collapsing on the couch. "I'll bet he wouldn't be so smug then."

Ib ignored her for the most part. It wasn't the first time Mary had been angry at someone invading her personal space, and right now she had much bigger things to worry about.

"_Barging into places you don't belong…"_

Something told her that he wasn't simply talking about the park. She shuddered as she remembered the way he had watched her approach, like a viper watching a baby bird. And of course, there was one other issue.

"Mary?" Ib asked, cutting off the detailed description of how the blonde girl would have rearranged his internal organs if he hadn't walked away. "Did you notice anything… strange when he showed up?"

Mary gave her an odd look.

"You mean other than the fact that some creep grabbed you?" She asked.

"Yes, other than that. Like how it was dark out, or the fact that there were no people around? Did you notice any of that?" Ib suddenly realized how crazy the whole thing sounded.

"Now that you mention it…" The painted girl frowned in concentration as she wracked her memory. "It did get awfully quiet, but I was too busy looking for you to notice anything else."

Ib sat down in a chair, burying her head in her hands. What was happening to her? Was she going nuts? Or was something else going on that she didn't understand?

It was hard to tell which option was more frightening.

"What happened?" Mary asked. "After I left I mean, you look like it was serious."

The brunette hesitated. Right now, she was doubting her own senses. How could she convince someone else of the strange occurrences when she didn't entirely believe them herself? Still, the other girl was waiting patiently for an answer. Throwing caution to the wind, she began to recount exactly what had happened.

"It started further back than that." Ib began, drawing on her memories of the haunting encounter. "A couple nights ago, I had a really strange dream."

"The one with Garry?" Mary asked.

"No, it was before that." She tried to remember exactly how it had gone. "I was in a big… well… I don't think it was a room, but it was some massive open space. It was really dark, but for some reason I felt like I knew where I was going." _Almost like someone was guiding me._ "The whole place felt so strange, but at the same time it was almost familiar."

"Familiar how?" Her sibling questioned. "Was it some place you remembered? Have you been there before?"

"I don't think so." Ib said. "It wasn't the room itself, more like a presence that I used to know."

The explanation didn't make all that much sense to either of them, but she went on regardless.

"At some point I found a table. It was the only object I had seen in that entire place, and it held two vases. Each one with a rose."

Mary's eyes widened. "You mean like…"

Ib nodded. There was no doubting it now that the roses she had seen were the same ones belonging to her two tragic companions.

"When I found them, something even stranger happened. All of a sudden, I wasn't alone anymore. A man in some kind of robe was standing behind me." She cringed inwardly as she recalled what happened next. "He wanted me to choose one of the roses. He wanted me to choose one of you…"

Several moments passed before the former painting managed to work up her nerve to break the silence.

"And… which did you pick…?" She questioned, worrying just what the answer might be.

"That's just it." Ib remarked, sighing. "I didn't. I chose not to choose. That's when things started getting unbelievable."

She turned away, rubbing her forehead before moving on to the next part of her explanation.

"The next night was the one I dreamed of Garry in. I already told you most of it, but there was one part I didn't get to. At one point everything got darker, and I thought I saw some kind of dog in an alleyway."

"A dog?" Mary asked, frowning as she tried to piece together the meaning of the image. "What's so strange about seeing a dog?"

"For starters, it was at least six feet long and didn't have any hair." Ib shuddered as she recalled the dark figure. "But more than that was the fact that everything went silent. Just like today in the park."

The two of them sat quietly as the implications of what she had just said settled in.

"What did… _he_… say about it?" Mary questioned at last. It didn't take a psychic to know just who she was referring to.

"Garry didn't say anything." Ib told her. "I didn't think to ask at the time. I'm pretty sure that I just wrote it off as my mind playing tricks on me." There she went, trying to apply logic to a dream. Maybe in that world seeing giant hellhounds was perfectly normal.

"But the guy in the park today… you don't think he had anything to do with that, do you?"

She didn't know. If she did, this whole ordeal would be so much less stressful. She would be able to say with confidence that she was not going insane.

Ib shrugged. "He can't have. I mean, it was something I dreamt up. It couldn't have been linked to him. That just isn't possible."

Once again, the two of them lapsed into silence. The information that had passed between them still hung in the air, laying down a thick cloud of confusion and paranoia. They were so engrossed in their own wonderings, that when the clock chimed both of them jumped with a yelp.

Ib turned in shock to see that it was already very late. Distracted as she was, she hadn't noticed just how much time had passed between their venture to the park and her explanations.

She would have to go to sleep soon…

A sudden, irrational, fear gripped her heart at the thought. What would happen if she went to bed tonight? Would she dream of Garry again? Would something even more sinister happen? In that instant, she felt like a nine year old girl again. Terrified of the dark and whatever beings lurked in its shadowy veil.

At the same time, she knew she was being stupid. Ib couldn't stay awake forever, and just because she'd had a few odd nights didn't mean tonight would be bad also.

"It's getting late." She commented pointlessly. "I think… I think I'm headed to bed." The words sounded far weaker than she had wanted them to. "Are you going to be staying up late?"

Mary thought for a second.

"Not too late." She said. "You go on ahead; I'll just be a bit."

Ib reached over and pulled her into a hug. The gesture would normally have been just a ritual effort, but tonight it held a bit more meaning. It was an anchor. She felt the fabric of her sister's dress, and the rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. It was proof that this was real. She wasn't imagining this. She wasn't going crazy.

All too soon, she broke off the embrace.

"Good night." Ib muttered, turning to head to their room.

"Night." Mary called behind her.

Taking a steadying breath, the brunette got ready for the coming storm.

* * *

Mary sat watching the stairs for several minutes after Ib had left. She had been telling the truth when she said she'd be along shortly, but first she had something to take care of.

Getting to her feet, she made her way past the kitchen and into their spare room. She had long ago claimed the spare space for herself since nobody else ever needed to use it. With its desk, chair, and small cupboard, it served as a place for her to do her homework, make plans for the day, or simply relax during those incredibly rare times when she actually _wanted_ to be alone.

It also had another, less obvious purpose. Because Mary had a secret. One she kept from both her surrogate parents, and even Ib herself.

Opening the cupboard, she removed the false backing inside to reveal her little obsession. Glinting back at her with all the silvery grace of frozen snow, were rows upon rows of knives. They were not simple eating devices either. Each dagger was as far from their utensil cousins as such a thing could get. They were designed to cut things that were still living.

Mary gently reached into the carefully organized mass of slicing tools, and removed one in particular. It was a polished knife, with a leaf shaped blade. Her favorite in the collection. When she had first seen it in a catalog, she knew she needed to have it. After all, it was almost like the pallet knife she used to carry.

Smiling to herself, she brought the dagger out into the light. A little over half the length of her forearm, it was a beauty to behold. Her reflection shone back at her in its metallic surface.

Lightly running a fingertip along its edge, Mary checked to be sure that the blade was still sharp. It was. Dangerously so. The feather-light weight of her touch had been enough to part the top layer of skin on her fingertip, leaving the barest suggestion of red behind.

Good. It would need to be sharp.

She didn't know what to make of the images that had been haunting Ib, but she knew that the man at the park had threatened her. Nobody threatened her sibling. If he ever dared show his face again, Mary would ensure that his smirk was removed.

Permanently.

Ib was hers. Her friend. Her family. Her… she didn't even know the words to describe what she was, but that didn't change what it meant.

She placed the knife against her lips, closing her eyes thoughtfully. She knew her sister would be horrified if she knew how many of these things Mary kept, but now they had a purpose.

With a silent nod of approval, she slipped the blade into the folds of her sleeves. She had practiced long and hard to master the art of concealing a weapon on her person, though admittedly she had only tested out her skills in front of a mirror. She had thought about bringing one to school just to be sure she could, but the fear of being discovered prevented that.

Replacing the false backing in the cupboard, Mary dusted herself off and left the room.

Be there creepy strangers, unnatural dogs, or twisted creatures, she would be prepared. Let them come.

Let them try to take Ib from her.


	6. The Game is Afoot

**Sorry for the slight delay. I've had a hectic week, so it was difficult to find time to write. Hopefully this won't be an issue in the future.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

Confusion was an emotion Ib was quickly becoming familiar with. This time however, she knew what to expect. Easing her eyes open, she was greeted by the exact sight she had been expecting.

Garry's room.

It was all the same way she had left it, but the morning sunlight peeking through the blinds told her that she had been asleep for a lot longer than the hour or so that she had expected. She lay there in quiet contemplation as the memories of what had happened washed over her. It was getting clearer each time. She could no longer say with certainty that her time with Mary had just been a vivid dream. It had just been too real.

Easing herself out of the bed, Ib made her way into the living room of Garry's apartment. It didn't take long to find her friend as he was busy making a pot of coffee.

"Well look who's up." He greeted with a warm smile. "Have a nice nap sleeping beauty?"

She didn't answer. Right now there was something she had to be sure of.

"Are you feeling ok?" Garry asked, seeing her expression. "Talk to me Ib, what's wrong?"

She strode forward quickly. In an instant, she had wrapped her arms around his midsection in a tight hug. It took a moment, but after the surprise wore off he returned the gesture. A shaky sigh rattled her frame as she took in every ounce of feeling that was assaulting her senses. He was real. Garry was real. This wasn't some trick of her mind. She had saved him at the cost of Mary.

"Hey." He said, his voice taking on a soft soothing tone. "It's all right. Whatever the problem is, it'll be all right. You know that don't you?"

"Yea…" Ib replied. "I'm fine. I just… I don't know. I just need a moment."

He didn't ask questions. Didn't try to push her to answer. He just stood there, holding her until she was ready to let go again. For that, she was immensely grateful.

"Thanks for that." She said when, at last, she managed to pull away. "I've just been having a really weird day."

"Already?" He asked. "The morning just started."

"Let's just say that some of us have been up longer than others."

"If you say so." Garry conceded, chuckling. "Anyway, since I doubt that you would want to hang around my tiny apartment for the next six days, what do you say we hit the town and see some sights?"

Ib couldn't have suggested something better if she had tried. Right now, a bit of quality time with her closest friend was exactly what she needed.

"I'd like that." She said. "But only if you promise to stop at a café for lunch."

"A café?" He asked, feigning surprise. "Well, I might know of one or two that are around here. Though you might want to get dressed and take a shower first."

Looking down, she realized that she was still wearing the outfit she'd had on the previous day. And previous night for that matter.

"Oh, that's probably a good idea. Where is the bathroom?"

Garry nodded back at the bedroom.

"The door on the left wall." He said. "Turn the handle left for hot water, right for cold. Try not to use up too much though. That stuff can get expensive."

"Right." Ib said, already having decided to use what he would probably consider an obscene amount. "I'll be ready in a little bit."

She turned towards the bathroom, resolving to let a hot shower wash away the stress of her current situation. She knew she'd have to sit down and think about it sooner or later, but right now the allure of a momentary distraction was too much to bear.

The bathroom was a simple design. Small, but not to the point of being cramped. The pale white walls were still clean and in good condition. A testament to how well Garry looked after his things.

As she examined the faucet of the shower, Ib caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. She turned to face herself fully and was surprised by what she found.

Her skin was paler than normal, as though she were sick with something. It wasn't to the point of being overly noticeable to anyone who didn't know what to look for, but to her it was as plain as day. What's more, she had dark marks under her eyes as if her full night of sleep hadn't rested her at all.

That wasn't the worst of it either. Seeing her reflection in the mirror, she was struck by the expression that had taken shape on her face.

She looked scared.

It was then that Ib realized she _was _scared. Something very sinister was going on. Something she didn't understand. The man in the park, the dog in the alley way, Mary, Garry, somehow they were all connected. She could no longer pretend that it was just her imagination, not after this morning with the purple haired man, and the night with the painted girl.

She had hugged them both. She had checked them both. They had both been a real, physical, presence. Despite what she knew, they were both real. They had to be.

Ib's mind shot back to the first encounter with the robed man. Whatever was going on, he was certainly behind it. Her fear started to drift away as it was replaced by something far stronger.

Determination.

This wouldn't stop her. Not by a long shot. She had defeated the Fabricated World, and she would beat this also.

Turning away from her reflection, she made her preparations. It was only a matter of time before the oddity would return. And when it did…

She'd be ready.

* * *

"I'm just saying, I think being chased by a saber-tooth cat would have been a lot less terrifying than the dolls."

Maybe taking such a long shower at Garry's expense hadn't been the best idea. When Ib had emerged from the personal sauna, he had been waiting for her with a dry grin and a plan for the day. No matter how much she pestered him, he refused to tell her what it was. At least, he did until they arrived at the natural history museum.

If there was one thing the brunette did not want to think about right now, it was the Gallery. Seeming to sense her annoyance at the subject, that was all her 'friend' talked about.

"Get a load of this guy." Garry commented, gesturing at a picture of a mammoth. "If we had him in there, the puzzle rooms would have been a breeze. He could just break the walls down."

"I think it would defeat the purpose of having puzzle rooms if you could just smash through them." Ib remarked. "Besides, Guertena didn't paint things like that."

"Right, I almost forgot that his shtick was being the Doctor Seuss from hell."

She rolled her eyes at the comparison. At some level, she still wished she knew more about the twisted painter. Were his creations the result of a sadistic mind that Mary had the misfortune of being targeted by? Or had the Fabricated world started as something much more benign, shifting to its darker form long after he had expired? Perhaps it had slowly become infected by the suffering of its main prisoner, warping itself as a reflection of her damaged mind.

Seeming to sense her change in mood, the man in the blue jacket tapped her on the shoulder.

"You're doing that again." He said. "If you keep staring off into space like that, you'll end up running into a wall."

Ib forced herself to stop thinking about the nightmare world. Right now, the Gallery didn't matter. She wasn't going to let it ruin one of the few days she had of quality time with Garry.

"Sorry." She said. "I've just been distracted a lot recently."

"I can tell. What's been going on anyway?" He asked. "If it's personal you don't need to tell me, but I'd like to help if I can."

She nodded at his offer. In the 'other' space Mary had been dragged into the events, so he deserved to know what was going on. If something happened and she didn't tell him, things could get much worse.

"Come on. I'll tell you in a second." Drawing him aside to a bench in a mostly unoccupied area, she began the explanation. "Do you remember yesterday when I told you about my dream?"

His expression became more serious as he heard the gravity in her voice.

"Yeah, I remember." He said. "But that's just a dream right? I mean, it's not like a dream can hurt you."

"Believe me, I hope that's true." She said, sighing softly. "But the thing is, I'm starting to wonder if it was a dream at all. This is going to sound crazy, but hear me out ok?"

Garry's face showed how little he understood what she was saying, but he accepted her terms.

"Sure." He said. "I've seen crazy before, so I'm pretty sure I can take it."

That was true. They had both seen it. They had both lived it. Feeling slightly more confident in her own words, she started.

"Last night I had the same dream again." Ib said. "Well not the _same_ dream, but a continuation of it. Mary was back, and you were still… not there."

He frowned slightly, but gestured for her to go on.

"The thing is, it didn't feel like I was dreaming." She explained, trying her best to convey just how real it had been. "We went to a park, and I can still vividly remember everything. There was no weird time skips, or breaks in logic, or anything like that. I heard the sounds of other people, I felt the heat of the day, and it was too much to just be my imagination."

"All right…" Garry said, doing his best to stay open to what she was saying. "What do you think that means exactly? Are you remembering something that you never did, or is it something more?"

"That's just it." Ib stated, her voice getting softer. "I don't know. I don't understand what's going on, but I know it isn't good. There was something else at the end also." Her breath hitched as she remembered the encounter with the strange man. "I know this is going to make you think I'm going nuts, but I swear I'm telling the truth."

"Come on Ib." He said, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. "You don't need to tell me anything to make me think you're nuts. No sane kid would have made it through the things you did."

She gave him a half-hearted shove, but she was smiling when she did.

"Very funny, but this is serious." She said. "When we were at the park, something really weird happened." She looked down at the floor, trying to figure out how best to explain. "At first, everything was fine. But later on, everyone just sort of… disappeared. I'm not sure what was happening, but suddenly everyone was gone and the sky was getting darker."

Garry stayed silent. She worried what he might be thinking, but decided against turning to check. If he was giving her a worried look, it would probably tear down the resolve she needed to keep speaking.

"I went to look for Mary. She had gone to buy a drink when it happened, but I never made it that far. Before I found her, someone else found me." The image of the man was burned into her memory. She doubted she could forget him at this point if she tried. "He seemed wrong, but at that time I was too relieved to have actually found someone to notice."

"I tried talking to him. Asking him what was going on, if he had seen Mary, that kind of thing. He kept giving me weird answers, things that didn't make any sense like 'you've been barging into places you don't belong' and stuff like that. At one point though, he snapped." Her fingers unconsciously curled into fists as she thought of the borderline-assault encounter.

"He grabbed me. I can't really describe exactly what happened, but in that moment he didn't look, well, _human_. It was like I was back in the Gallery facing down a monstrous painting again."

Again, Garry didn't respond. The weight of his hand on Ib's shoulder was also gone, making her feel all the more vulnerable. Even so, she pushed on.

"Mary stepped in before he could do anything though. Can you believe that? _She _of all people was the one to help me. When he left, all the people just suddenly came back. It was like he had made them vanish somehow. I know it sounds insane, but I'm not kidding. You believe me don't you?"

Silence. Fear shot through the girl at the lack of response.

"Come on, you don't think I'm going crazy do you?" She asked, a pleading tone entering her voice. "I wouldn't make something like this up, you know that!"

Once more, she went unanswered. Ib felt her fear turn to anger as he continued his passive refusal to speak.

"Oh come on Garry!" She shouted, whipping around to face him. "You don't honestly believe-"

Whatever she had been going to say died in her throat as she laid eyes on him. Or rather, laid eyes on where he had been. In place of her friend was only empty air.

"Garry?" She called, turning to look for him. "Garry, where did you go?"

"Garry!" No matter how loud she yelled, she knew it wouldn't make a difference.

He was gone, and with a mounting dread she realized that he wasn't the only one. Everyone had ceased to exist while she had been speaking. She was alone in the museum.

_T-That doesn't make sense!_ She thought to herself, trying to reason her way out of the darkened room. _Mary wasn't affected, she stayed around. If this is the same thing, why did Garry disappear?_ Some part of her laughed at the idea that she believed any of this would follow a logical set of rules.

_Calm down._ She thought. _Just take a deep breath. If it's happening again, then that creep is going to be back. That's how it works right? _Ib hoped that was true. If he was back, she could finally get some answers. In the park, the man had taken her off guard. Now the element of surprise was gone.

That was when she heard it. The sound of shoes smacking against the polished floor of the museum. He was coming.

Ib shot to her feet, looking around for something she could defend herself with. She wasn't a child anymore. She didn't need to run and hide from every threat.

She sighted her target after only a moment. Lying next to a half-finished sign was exactly the kind of tool she needed. A hammer.

The sound of footsteps was getting louder, but the hefty weight of the bludgeoning tool in her palm made her feel ten times better. Turning to face the entryway, she got ready to beat some answers out of this freak.

Ten seconds passed and the noise was much closer. Twenty, and it was almost unbearable. Her grip tightened and she began breathing faster. She had never been in a real fight before, but how hard could it be? Just hit him with the heavy part and keep doing it until he stopped fighting back right? Maybe she would get lucky and he would just give up now that she was armed.

The footsteps stopped. Looking back up, she saw who had been making them.

It wasn't the man from the park.

This guy was much younger, maybe a year or two older than she was. But it was immediately apparent to Ib that he was not one of the tourist taking in the sights.

For starters, he had the same feeling of not belonging. Just looking at him was enough to make her feel a little sick. What's more, he was dressed in some odd Shakespearean style clothing as though he had just come from a costume party.

"Stay back!" Ib warned, hefting the hammer above her head. "I can see through you're little disguise, and I'm not in the mood for games."

He smiled. The slight movements of his mouth just added to the disturbing presence that pervaded him.

"I mean it! If you try anything, I won't hesitate to hurt you! This is your last chance!"

Her words didn't deter him. In fact, as she spoke them his smile grew. And grew.

And grew.

And continued to grow far beyond what was natural.

The brunette's breath caught in her throat as his face seemed to split open under his stretching mouth. The edges curled up behind his ears in a macabre grin.

As she watched, his lips slowly began to pull back. Little by little, rows of razor sharp teeth were revealed. Some jagged, some straight, they all seemed to fit into his mouth without rhyme or reason. It was a mash up of brutally serrated edges that had all been thrown together in the most haphazard way possible.

Suddenly, threatening him didn't seem like such a good idea.

Before she could react, the boy dropped down on all fours. Ib knew what was coming next. She hadn't survived the Fabricated World by being bad at recognizing threats. Turning away, she took off sprinting for her life.

Behind her, the boy let out a screech and started to chase.

Garry didn't know what was happening. One minute, he had been listening to Ib start her explanation. The next…

He couldn't move. Couldn't open his eyes. Heck, he could hardly even think straight. It was as though someone had submerged him in water that diluted all his senses. Something told him that it would be easier to just let go. Let himself drift into the sea of nothingness that surrounded him…

"_Garry?"_

That was her! He struggled to move and answer her call, but his body didn't respond. The clinging weight noticed his disturbances and gripped tighter.

"_Garry, where did you go?"_

"I'm here!" He shouted, or at least tried to. No sound came out, and he wasn't sure that the words had even made it to his mouth.

"_Garry!"_

She sounded scared. That was enough to give him the strength to push against the darkness that held him. Garry felt his mouth twist into a snarl as he struggled. Ib was in danger, and nothing was going to keep him from her.

Slowly, he began to make headway. The shroud gave ground as he continued to force his way forward.

"Ib! I'm on my way! Hold on!"

He was close. His eyes could make out hazy shapes. The bench they had been sitting on, the halls of the museum, but where was she?

With one final shove against the wall of shadow, Garry broke the bonds that had been holding him and collapsed to the ground. He didn't stay there long.

"Ib!" He shouted. Something bad was happening, and he needed to find her as quickly as possible.

"Can you hear me!? Where are you!?"

When the answer came, it was not what he expected. Instead of the girl's voice, a horrific roar shook the air around him followed by the sound of something massive being smashed to pieces.

Not stopping to think about his own safety, he shot forward towards the disturbance.

"Hold on Ib! I'm coming!"


	7. Hunted and an Author's note

**For those who are following the story, there will be an important author's note at the end of the chapter.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Ib or any of the characters**

* * *

Ib had never been all that interested in gym class. Running around until you were sweaty and breathless just didn't appeal to her sensibilities. Now however, she wished that she had decided to take track and field in high school.

Rounding a corner, she put on an extra burst of speed in order to lengthen the distance between herself and her pursuer. She heard the creature's feet scrape on the floor, followed by a growl of irritation as his momentum carried him past the hallway she had fled into. That would buy her several precious seconds.

She sprinted past artwork depicting animals and plants that had long since gone extinct. Ib's chest felt like it was on fire, and for the first time she actually missed being chased by the slow inhabitants of the Gallery.

Then she saw it. The exit.

Her fatigue vanished in a wave of relief as the doors leading to the parking lot came into view. She had no idea what she would do once she was outside, but right now getting out of the building was her first and only priority.

Rushing towards the doorway, she grabbed the handle. With one heave she threw open the gates blocking her way. Or rather, she tried to. In reality the doors only moved an inch before catching. Ib could only stare in disbelief at the locked exit. She tried pulling them open once more, bracing her foot against the wall in order to put more force behind her actions. The door still stubbornly refused to allow her to leave.

"Open up!" She shouted, as though her command could possibly hope to sway the will of an inanimate object.

Suddenly, some sense warned her of an impending danger. Ib jumped to the side just in time to avoid being crushed as the beast hurtled right through the space she had been standing in just a moment ago. The twisted man slammed into the doors with the force of a small car, leaving a sizable dent and effectively stunning him.

She didn't waste time standing around staring. If that hit couldn't dislodge the opening then she had no hope of getting through any time soon. As the creature recovered, she turned and ran back into the museum.

Her dash eventually drew her into a wing dedicated to ancient sea creatures. The skeletal remains made her shudder. They were eerily similar to the Abyss of the Deep.

Behind her, a roar of frustration signaled that her hunter had regained his senses enough to see she was gone.

Ib cursed silently. Looking around, she frantically searched for somewhere to hide. Running would only serve to tire her out more and she doubted the thing after her was playing by the same rules she was.

A room dedicated to some species of extinct whale provided what she was after. Running inside, she quickly closed the doors to the display. Now she just needed a way to keep it closed. A nearby curtain on the wall was the only thing she was able to find. Tearing it down, she spun it until the fabric formed a makeshift rope. She then used it to tie the door handles together. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it would at least delay her pursuer.

Turning back to the room, Ib began searching for some place she could stay where he wouldn't be able to find her. Sadly, there were few hiding spots. Most of the display cases contained the remains of dead animals and she doubted that the old bones would provide any kind of real protection against a vicious predator.

A slight creaking sound caused her to look up. Hanging from the ceiling was a large whale skeleton suspended by several ropes. What's more, she could see where the ropes lead.

An idea began forming in Ib's mind. It was crazy. It would never work. But right now, it was all she had. A banging at the door wiped out any lingering doubt. She had one chance to make this work, and if it didn't she'd have a _very_ upset monster on her hands.

_Better make it count._

* * *

He hated this place. Not this building in particular, but this whole filthy plane of existence. It was all one big mess smothered in rot and squalor.

Reaching up, he gingerly touched the spot where his head had impacted the door. The girl was being far more annoying than he had expected. Huffing angrily, he stalked after her scent.

She might think she can escape but he would prove her wrong. Human senses were so dull that they never realized how much of a trail they left behind. Their idea of cleaning only traded the bodily odors of sweat and grime for the synthetic ones of soap and detergent. It was just as easy to track, with the bonus of not making him want to vomit in a corner.

Her trail led into a room that had the doors closed. He didn't even have to try opening them to know that they were barred.

Did she honestly think that would save her? He could have started laughing if it weren't for his headache. It was almost sad that her actions had turned to such foolish desperation so quickly.

Pulling back his foot; he brutally kicked down the door. The metal barrier shot open, its handles snapping like twigs before the weight of his blow.

Surprisingly enough, no sound came from the room. She had either found another way out, or had the self-control to prevent any squeals of fright at the violent entry. He almost felt a grudging respect for the doomed child. Almost. She had still caused him pain, and that was enough of a reason to kill her.

The monstrous man stepped inside, carefully scanning the area with an unwavering gaze. Her scent was strong so she was definitely nearby. The hunt would be over soon.

* * *

Ib stood silently behind a pair of large curtains, not daring to breath lest the sound of drawing in air alert him to her location. He was getting closer and she prayed that he wouldn't be smart enough to realize what was going on until it was too late.

Peeking between the sliver of open space between the hanging cloths gave her a very limited view of the room, but it was enough. She could see the open area that led into her trap. Now all she had to do was wait. Wait and hope.

The man didn't keep her too long. He strode into her line of sight, slowly turning his head in all directions. Almost immediately, he spotted the bait.

Her cardigan lay discarded in the center of the room. It was an obvious ploy, but it was the best she could do on short notice.

Silence filled the room as Ib watched him stand motionless. Very slowly, he began creeping towards the article of clothing. She felt her own heart rate increase as he drew closer. He knew it was a trap, but he either assumed she wouldn't be able to do anything to hurt him or thought that he could outwit whatever plan she came up with.

One clawed hand reached down to pick up her jacket, and that was when the brunette made her move. Hidden behind the curtain with her, out of sight so as not to be an eyesore to the tourists, was a metal brace embedded in the wall. And tied to that brace was the rope keeping the massive whale skeleton suspended.

Ib quickly began unraveling the knots holding the rope in place. She only had to undo a couple of them before the weight of the bones did the rest of the work for her.

The young man heard the noise she was making, and turned towards her hiding spot with a hiss of triumph. Had he been paying more attention to his surroundings, he might have noticed the ropes above suddenly going slack. As it was, he didn't realize anything was wrong until the creaking of straining metal signaled that the trap had been sprung.

The monster had just enough time to look up and utter a shout of surprise before the massive display came down on his head with a resounding crash.

For a moment, the girl stayed hidden. She strained her ears for the telltale sounds of anger or breaking that would tell her that the trap hadn't worked. But no sounds of rage assaulted her. No berserk horror tore down the curtains that she stood behind.

Cautiously, she peeked beyond the cloth barrier to see the results of her handiwork.

Her hunter lay unmoving in the center of the room. It was hard to make out his form underneath the piles of broken bone, but it was definitely him under there. Breathing out a sigh of relief, she stepped out to retrieve her jacket. Or at least what was left of it.

The cardigan had been thrown aside during the incident and was several feet away. It had a jagged tear along the back, but was otherwise unharmed. That was good. She could fix a tear, but replacing her favorite jacket was almost unthinkable.

Suddenly, a ragged cough caused her to whirl around. The creature was stirring underneath the pile. Ib's first instinct was to run as far away from the demented creature as possible, but she couldn't do that. This was her chance to get some answers. Hoisting up a broken rib as a makeshift club, she walked towards the pinned beast.

He regarded her coldly from his prone position, growling as she approached.

"Here's how this is going to work." She said, willing her voice to convey an authority she didn't feel. "I'm going to ask some questions. You're going to answer them. Understand?"

The young man snarled, but didn't answer. Ib wondered if he was even capable of speech. If not, her plan was less than ideal. _Too late to turn back now. _She thought to herself.

"Who are you?"

Oddly enough, the creature rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

"Always the same questions from you people." His voice sounded airy and distant, possibly a byproduct of his disfigured mouth. "Who are you? Why are you doing this? What is going on? You need to start thinking up some new material. It gets incredibly irritating to hear those all the time."

"You didn't answer." Ib accused, narrowing her eyes. "Name. Now. Or else things will get much less comfortable for you."

He glared at her audaciousness, but gave in.

"I have many names." He said. "Though none would mean anything to the likes of you. Humans have such short memories after all. Your kind used to know how dangerous it was to enter dark places, but now…" He started chuckling. "Now you seem to actively search them out."

"What does that mean?" She questioned. It sounded far too much like a riddle for her liking. "_You_ were the one chasing _me_. I never asked to play kill the leader."

"Boring questions." He stated, actually managing to look condescending from his position on the floor. "You are asking far too many of them."

"Fine." Ib was getting annoyed by his antics. "How about we start with something else. What are you? You're definitely not human."

That one actually brought an amused smile to his face.

"What do you think I am?" He asked. She couldn't shake the feeling that he was judging her actions.

"I think…" What exactly could she say? A monster? That sounded far too simple. "You're from the Fabricated World, aren't you?" It wasn't what she meant to ask, but somehow it sounded close to the truth.

"Not quite." He said, his smile growing. "But close. I could tell you the name we have for ourselves, but I doubt you would understand its meaning. Humans have had many words for us over the years. Gods, demons, fey, phantoms. The only difference between any of them is the context."

Ib's mouth opened and closed several times, unable to formulate a response. He couldn't be telling the truth could he? The offhanded comment just seemed so wrong.

"I don't believe in demons." She said, glaring down at him.

"Believe what you want. It doesn't change the outcome." He replied.

"How about we go back to my first question; who are you? And I don't mean a name; I want to know your reason for being here."

The amusement left his features as though someone had opened a drain in his mind.

"I'm a hunter." He said. "And it seems I'm somewhat out of practice."

"Why?" Ib demanded. "Why are you after me? What did I do to you?"

The young man shook his head in disappointment.

"You still don't know anything do you?" He asked. "Well you can ask _him_ all about it very soon. I'm sure he'll want to talk to you now that his little plan has backfired."

"Who is _he_?" She asked. A vague memory surfaced in her mind. "Wait, do you mean the man in the robe? The one who found me in the… well… I don't know where it was, but the other place?"

"Your vocal prowess does your people proud." He remarked blandly. "If you are speaking of the man who brought you inside the shroud, then yes. He offered you a choice, but it seems his will was too weak to force a decision."

This was all moving too quickly. His casual remarks of gods, demons, shrouds, and other impossible things only raised more questions than they answered.

"Who is he anyway?" She asked. "I feel like I know him from somewhere."

The creature actually started laughing again at her confusion.

"I'd say you know him better than most people." He said. "After all, you got to see his little house of horrors first hand."

She frowned. What was that supposed to mean? What house of-

No.

He couldn't be talking about…

That wasn't possible.

The young man sensed her conflict, and gave her a sinister grin.

"The man who put you in your current predicament is the very same one who created the Fabricated World. His name is Guertena."

Ib's mind stopped. The same man who had created her first living hell was responsible for the same one she was living in now.

"H-He can't be!" She stammered. "Guertena is…"

"Dead?" He finished mockingly. "I think you'll find that not everyone sticks to the same laws of life and death that you hold dear. He is still mostly alive, and if I'm right the two of you will be meeting again very soon. As for me…"

She felt the air shudder as the man's features became blurry and indistinct.

"I think I'm finished here. You're proving to be more trouble than your worth. A bit of advice though, don't let your guard down. There are far worse people after you than me, and you can bet they won't give up this easily."

He faded away into nothingness, taking the dark atmosphere with him. Sounds, light, and sensation all came back in a rush. Even the destroyed whale skeleton had returned to its former resting place suspended from the ceiling.

Ib staggered under the sudden sensory assault. She had been though far too much to simply walk it off at this point.

"Ib!" The familiar voice snapped her out of the haze.

"Garry?"

"There you are!" He exclaimed, gripping her in a tight hug. "What happened? Everyone was missing, and I thought… I don't even know what I thought. I just heard you yell and-"

"I'm all right." She assured, cutting him off. "Listen, I'll explain everything I know in a bit but right now I don't want to be in this place anymore. Can we go somewhere private?"

He nodded, too relieved that she was unharmed to bother disputing the issue.

She took his hand, and the two of them made their way out of there. Past the displays. Beyond the crowds of people, utterly oblivious to what had just taken place. And past the lone figure standing in the darkened corner.

"Not bad." He said to himself, smirking at a joke only he understood.

"We'll see how you handle round two."

* * *

**First of all, I'd like to thank all those who have been reading Reflections up to this point. I appreciate the views and the comments a lot. However, I do have some bad news. Due to poor story planning on my part, as well as some personal issues I'd rather not discuss, it has become very difficult for me to write for this fanfiction. Because of that I'm going to be putting it on hold for some time. Some of you might ask, will this end up like other stories that are on hold forever only to end up being dropped? Well... maybe. I can't promise anything, but right now I do intend to finish eventually, after all the story was just getting started, but with how hard it was to just write up until this point I'm not entirely sure. Hopefully this will only be a temporary inconvenience but on the off-chance that I don't come back to it, thank you for your time and I'm sorry if this is an issue for anybody. **


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